As processors continue to shrink in size and increase in speed, heat dissipation is evermore critical. Fans are often used to cool a processor and maintain the processor below a safe operating temperature. If a processor operates for an extended period of time at temperatures elevated beyond the recommended operating temperature, temperature induced degradation may lead to an unreliable processor. Low operating temperatures can be ensured by sacrificing operating speed, but do so at the expense of processor performance.
While an excessive high-speed fan ensures reliable operation, the acoustic noise generated by such can be bothersome and distracting to a user. If a computer system is operated in a noisy work environment, a noisy fan may not be of concern. However, placing the same computer system within a quiet home setting, a library, or the like, can be irritating and untenable. As such, acoustic noise level of a computer system has become a major influencing factor when making a purchasing decision. In fact, consumer advocate groups and government agencies have gone so far as to define acoustic specifications.
Computer manufactures have responded by developing ad hoc original equipment manufacture (“OEM”) specific thermal solutions. These thermal solutions attempt to balance two diametrically opposing goals-fan speed reduction to attain a quiet system and temperature control to ensure long-term product reliability.